Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city can be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the anxiety about state surveillance and imprisonment, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt look into survival, chosen family, and the search for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
